Children of the White Island
by oni-neko ninja
Summary: Trafalgar Law never expected to go there again. But unsavory rumors have torn at his curiosity. The Surgeon of Death may find himself channeling a ghost he holds dear when he least expects it. A Post-Raftel, Law-centric adventure.
1. Prologue

Disclaimer: **One Piece** belongs to Oda-sensei. We're just borrowing some characters. The OCs, however, belong to Molly and me.

Summary: Trafalgar Law never expected to go there again. But unsavory rumors have torn at his curiosity. The Surgeon of Death may find himself channeling a ghost he holds dear when he least expects it. A Post-Raftel, Law-centric adventure.

This is a collab between my friend MangaMolly1991 and myself. The title is a suggestion only and therefore is subject to change if we come up with something better.

And I never know what rating to give, so I dunno. That may change later, it may not.

Also, I apologize ahead of time if any canon characters are OOC.

Anyway; let's get into it!

* * *

Prologue

Eight years after the One Piece War, the Polar Tang was docked at an unnamed island somewhere on the Grand Line to restock on some things.

Law had decided to wander since he knew that his crew didn't need him just for a supply run. He eventually found himself in a tavern. He spent a few hours there, on-and-off playing along with the flirting of a waitress out of boredom.

Although he typically hates small talk, the mumblings of some strangers at the other end of the bar caught his attention.

"Hey, did you hear about those ships that've been passing through these parts lately?" asked one man.

"What're you on about?" replied a second.

"You know! Those unmarked cargo ships," the first answered. "I heard they're carryin' some unusual shit... something about slaves and some kind'a white isle in the North, too."

This tidbit alone piqued Law's interest in all the wrong ways. He set his drink on the counter as he stood, intent on hearing more. As he headed their way, he slipped a tip to the waitress with whom he'd been talking.

The second man countered, "Why're you bringing this up _now_? A ship like that hasn't been through here in more'n a month."

"I know, but I heard — geh!" He froze when he saw the dark expression on Law's face as he approached.

When Law closed the short distance that had been between them, he tilted his head curiously. "Well? What've you heard?"

"I... uh..." The second man spoke this time.

"Yes...?" Law was trying to be patient, but he wasn't sure how long he could last before splitting a skull or two. The look on his face alone was scaring both gossipers.

The first man cleared his throat. "...well... I d-don't know everything, b-but..."

"You mentioned slaves," Law cut the man off. "...and white land. Where is this Northern white isle?"

"I don't know where it is!" the man snapped nervously. He threw up his hands in a placating manner. "From what I heard — which isn't much, mind you! It's a small place that apparently looks snowy year-round in the North Blue... I don't know where..." he repeated himself without a thought. He really _was_ scared.

His friend jumped in here. "But we've seen cargo ships pass here a couple times in the past. Not recently, though. Never marked, but they have green keels. We only know about that end of their travels 'cause we heard a couple of the guys who sail 'em talking about it one time..."

"...I see." Law turned away from the pair at that. "Thank you." ' _Green keels... Seastone._ '

Without another word, he left for the port. He needed to think.


	2. Chapter 1

Heads-up: We've decided that for the Heart Pirates, any crew members whose names we don't already know as canon will be given a random name taken from a proverbial (spotted?) hat. xD;

Here's chapter 1! Enjoy. ^_^

* * *

Chapter 1

Law had gone back to the Tang after that, if only for the sake of thinking in a comfortable space. He barely slept an hour that night, however. Memories swirled and tangled like chains in a whirlpool.

His decision was finally made when a certain giant blond moron's bloody smile popped into his mind.

So, in the early hours of the morning, he took only the bare minimum supplies from the submarine, and left. He could get whatever else he might need at the market... including a mode of transportation.

* * *

The next morning was only normal for the Heart crew until they realized that they were missing someone at breakfast.

Bepo went down to the captain's quarters. ' _Perhaps he couldn't sleep again._ '

The polar bear mink knocked on the door when he reached it. "Captain?" After a moment of silence, he knocked again. When he still got no response, he pushed open the heavy metal door and poked his furry head inside. "Captain...?"

The bed was made, but otherwise, the room was in the same state as usual: papers and books on every flat surface...

Except that the owner of said room was absent.

Because that on its own wasn't too unusual, though, he decided to look around before jumping to conclusions. He left the bedroom and checked the Tang from bottom to top.

Bepo scrunched up his muzzle in confusion and worry as he exited the last — also empty — recovery room in the topmost level of the sub. He hadn't found so much as a scrap to tell him where Law could have gone. Not even a note.

"...Captain... where are you...?" the mink asked no one with a pout as he headed back downstairs.

When he got back to the galley, he was greeted at the door by Shachi.

"What's up, Bepo? Where's Captain?"

"Nowhere?" He shrugged, then slumped. "I don't know, Shachi. His scent seemed recent in his room... but it's like he's vanished into thin air! What do we do?"

By now the whole crew was looking at them in curious confusion.

Carter came to the door now. "Captain's missing? Seriously?"

Bepo nodded. "I think so. I've already searched the Tang from top to bottom. We need to check in town. Come on!" He dashed from the galley at that, with the whole crew on his heels.

* * *

The Heart Pirates had split up and nearly turned the whole island on its head, but they found very little. A couple shop owners they'd asked pointed towards the port, but no one who was still there by the time the crew were doing their rounds had seen Law since the day before.

Penguin sighed as he closed the main bulkhead once everyone was inside. "I can't _believe_ this. He's really gone? Like a freakin' ghost?" He kicked at the wall. "He's never done this before. What the hell?!"

"Last time he left, he at least warned us... and told us when he came back that he'd gone expecting to die. There's gotta be a reason he's doing this, too," Shachi said with a sigh of his own.

"But what could it be?" Jean-Bart chimed in from the stairwell.

Bepo slumped against the wall opposite Penguin, hanging his head with droopy ears. "I haven't a clue... and I hate it." He shoved his paws in his pockets.

The two hat-wearing humans shared a brief look, then moved to either side of the mink and patted one shoulder each sympathetically.

"We know, Bepo," said Shachi.

"We're with ya, bud," Penguin added.

It was Bepo's turn to sigh. "I know. I just..." He couldn't find the words, so he let out a little growl.

A moment of quiet passed before Carter appeared next to Jean.

"Hey, Penguin! No offense, but if you don't get your ass in the galley soon..."

Penguin's eye-roll went unseen. "Jerks. Using me for my cooking skills. I'll be there in a minute." He stuck his tongue out at Carter, then turned to Bepo. "Coming? I'm sure you must be hungry, too."

The bear pushed away from the wall. "I guess I could eat."

Penguin smiled at him. "C'mon, then."


	3. Chapter 2

Sorry; there's not gonna be much of the Heart crew again till later.

This chapter skips ahead to Law closing in on his destination because we couldn't think of any eventful things that might happen along his journey.

And, to clarify for anyone who may be confused... we know that the Polar Tang can traverse the Calm Belt. But we don't think the crew would leave the area they're in in a blind search for Law when they have no clue where he could've gone. They'd more likely stay in the same place, at least for awhile, in case he comes back out of the blue.

* * *

Chapter 2

It'd been at least a month. Law was finally closing in on a place he never thought he'd see again, outside of books (however incorrect those books may be). He'd docked the small boat he'd acquired along the way in the port and headed into town to gather information. Surely _someone_ here knew _something_. It was just a matter of finding them.

* * *

Not a single "green" keel in the port, after awhile of searching. So he'd need to find another lead...

* * *

Law found himself in a bar. It was beginning to seem like he gravitated towards the things... He shook his head. Bars were good information pools. If anyone knew anything, they'd likely be the type of person to stick to shady places.

A waitress approached his table. "Can I get you anything, handsome?"

He leaned back a bit in his chair with a smirk. "How 'bout a beer?"

"Coming right up~!" She winked as she left.

He sat up straight again and looked around at the other patrons, but just because none looked the part, didn't mean none of them were involved.

The noise level, however... Oh, what Law wouldn't have given to have had the Calm Calm Fruit at that moment. He let out a little sigh. He'd have to make do and hope a fight wouldn't break out since he had left Kikoku hidden on his boat to avoid being recognized or causing trouble.

His drink came soon enough, and thankfully, he didn't have to wait too long before a potential source walked in: a small ragtag-looking gang who looked like they just _might_ have something he needed.

He watched as they settled in their spot before one of them cat-called the same waitress who'd served him. While Law wasn't in the mood to cause trouble, a part of him — inspired by Straw Hatter, no doubt — wanted to keep the girl out of harm's way. He pushed that out of his mind, though, in favor of keeping an eye on the punks.

"Oi! Get us the usual, sweet cheeks," one of them "requested" loudly despite the fact that she was right there. Before she could dash away to get whatever "the usual" was, he slapped her rear somewhat roughly. The rest of the group got rowdy again as she ran off.

Law had decided to wait and observe, but as they got their food, all they did was show just how much they had in common with pigs. He couldn't have understood half of what they were saying even if he'd wanted to, and he was quickly getting fed up with it. So he stood to go over and "talk" with them.

"May I ask where your mothers are?" He stopped in front of their table, his expression unclear.

They collectively stared at him for a minute before the first one spoke up around a mouthful of food. "What's it to you?"

He shrugged in response. "Nothing. But I do wonder some things."

"Oh yah? Like?" a second asked in the same messy way as his friend.

"I assume you gluttons live in the underground?"

A third one took a swig of his drink, then shrugged. "'N' if we do?"

At this, Law shoved the third speaker by the shoulder to make room on the bench facing the exit before flopping himself down. He stretched his hands out over his head before entwining them behind it, eyes closed and a smirk on his face.

"Hey! What the hell, man?! Get outta here!" the third guy snapped.

"...no, I don't think so. See," he started as he shifted after a few seconds. Now he rested his right elbow on the table and his chin on that hand. His tattoos were obvious to them now. "...I'm new here. I'm looking for something, and I think you lot may be able to help."

"And why would we do that?" asked a fourth.

Law simply chuckled and, with his free hand, fingered a knife that had been lying forgotten on the table. He pointed it at the one sitting across from him. "Because if you don't..."

They looked at him curiously now.

"...let's just say, I could make you lot miserable without lifting a finger... So~. What do you know about unmarked cargo ships?"

"...uh... what kind?" asked the second nervously.

"Big enough to hold more than just the crew? ...with seastone keels."

"Sea... stone?" the fifth one finally spoke up.

Law blinked a couple times. Then he scoffed and shook his head. "...good god... Okay. Were the bottoms of the ships green?" ' _Morons._ '

They all appeared to mull that over for a bit. Law fiddled with the knife in hand while he waited.

"Yeah," the third one said, "I think they were..."

"They don't come 'round here often," added the first.

The fourth one jumped in. "We haven't seen any in awhile."

Law hummed in thought. "And would you happen to know where they come from or go to? Or if you don't, how about someone who would?"

The fifth guy answered, "We don't. Sorry. We don't do much sea business."

"You don't say," Law deadpanned in an annoyed tone. He then stood with a sigh. "Well, thanks anyway... and."

"...and...?" repeated the first one.

Law glared the whole group down now. "Leave the waitresses alone, or I'll know."

The only reply he got was a collective "eek."

He left money for his drink — including a good-sized tip for the girl — at his original table and left. He had some port workers to interrogate.

* * *

So? _Please_ tell me Law isn't too OOC... xD;


	4. Chapter 3

Sorry about the wait. We've been working on this when we have time, which has been & I think will continue to be mostly on the weekends. We don't have any kind of posting schedule in mind yet... I dunno if we'll set one up.

Anyway~... We're finally getting into the plot!

* * *

Chapter 3

Little more than the direction the suspicious ships had taken had been given. Not that Law really needed more than that.

It was around noon when he closed in on the shores of the White Town with a spyglass held to his eye and a map in his other hand. He could see one such cargo ship anchored offshore a good distance away. He lowered his telescope, grabbing a pen to mark down their assumed coordinates.

"...shit." Law's eyes widened, then narrowed in anger. These bastards were set up to transfer things to and from the mines! He looked up again; he was near the town harbor. "...okay..." He returned his attention to his map, and after a moment of thought, chose to head in the opposite direction of the mines. That way, he could hide his presence until he figured out exactly what was going on.

Soon enough, he'd pulled his small boat as close as possible to the beach and secured it to a sturdy tree. It didn't take long for him to make himself a basic campsite and ensure that Kikoku was hidden with no chance of a stranger finding it. He double-checked that his knife was at easy access, then left to hunt and scout things out.

Not that he was certain of what he'd find beyond the broken and rusting remains of the border fence.

* * *

He'd never spent much time in the wilderness there as a child. After all, before everything had happened, most of his life had been spent in school and his parents' hospital.

He _couldn't_ enter the town — even after so much time, the thought of what could be waiting inside hurt too much. It was a weird mix of feelings just for him to be walking on Flevance again after so many years.

Stopping, he rested his hand on the trunk of a thin oak tree, looking up at its canopy as he took a deep breath. The air was as fresh as he remembered, that was for sure.

Law hummed in thought as he took in his surroundings. The tree he was next to couldn't have been much older than twenty, and felt pretty sturdy. As he looked down, he noted that he was actually standing on an odd burnt spot that vaguely resembled another piece of foliage. He was just a short ways inland and had already noticed a lot of those — undoubtedly stubborn remnants of the fires that had ravaged the land back then. But all things considered, the ecosystem seemed to be recovering nicely.

He shook his head at himself then. He wasn't here to study the land. He had a mission, and so, he plowed on.

* * *

After awhile of exploring, Law heard noises ahead of him. As quickly and quietly as he could, he ducked behind a line of bushes. He ended up with his back to the sounds.

"Come on! Faster, ya little freaks," a male voice snapped.

"Move it!" The owner of a second voice did something that caused a _whack_ sort of sound, which was answered by a yelp and something shifting. "Idiots!"

Law narrowed his eyes at these sounds and turned around quietly before peeking through the leaves. What he saw shocked him.

Two teens were carrying a barrel together. Nothing inherently wrong with that on its own... However. Not only were both quite bruised, but they were covered in white spots.

A random, yet specific, pattern Law never thought he'd see again after he'd cured himself years ago.

Forcing himself to stay put as he tried his hardest not to see red, he let a couple minutes pass before he felt that he could move on to see what else was going on. But he couldn't get too close. Getting caught was out of the question.

What he found next was worse than anything else he could have imagined.

Children.

 _Young_ ones.

Entering and exiting those damnable lead mines. All covered in white and carrying what Law assumed were rocks and pieces of ore. Worse, from that distance, one could not distinguish dirt and soot from illness and injury.

* * *

A.N.: Sorry; it's minor cliff-hanger time. I wasn't quite sure where to break it off at first, but we eventually agreed to stop it here.


End file.
